When you go to sell your home, the listing agent often encourages baking something sweet in your oven so that your home smells welcoming! And they are totally right…what a great marketing tool because few things bring more comfort than that smell. In our home that usually means fresh baked banana bread!
When my older son was first born, we used to walk with a group of other new moms. Well, that eventually turned into meeting for group coffee playdates or happy hours at each others’ homes. One morning a good friend brought this delicious banana bread! My family was instantly hooked, and it was particularly special to me because I had always grown up having my grandmother’s banana bread…..cue the flood of happy memories!
My neighbor graciously shared the recipe as it had been shared with her from another friend. But eventually this recipe led back to someone’s sweet grandmother from a small town in Oklahoma. It always ends with a similar story because the best recipes usually come from the super maternal grandmother in the teeniest town who gets the utmost joy from cooking and baking all day for her friends and family!
What I also love about this recipe is that all ingredients go into one bowl….no separating the wet and dry ingredients. But the real kicker and special ingredient is that it is hand-mixed….no mixer, blender, or any other mechanized tool. Just your hands and lots of love!
Just remember….this one is best served fresh from the oven!! 🙂
And if you ever come over to my house and peek in my freezer, don’t judge me. As soon as my bananas begin to go bad, I peel them and freeze 3 in a quart baggie so I am always ready to make a new batch of banana bread. AND I often convert the ingredients to gluten free by subbing in an extra egg and almond flour!
GRanny Jane’s banana bread
8 slices
- 3 ripe bananas mashed
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 melted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 cup of chopped nuts (optional!…we usually leave these out)
- Vegetable spray, butter, or shortening
Preheat oven to 325 degrees Farenheit and grease your baking pans with vegetable spray, butter, or shortening. Each recipe makes one loaf pan of banana bread or two mini loaves. Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix with your hands! Try not to lick the batter off of your hands when done…haha! Pour mixture into loaf pans and bake for 1 hour or until you can insert a toothpick, and it comes out clean! Fool proof banana bread!! Enjoy warm or let cool and freeze to enjoy later!
